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Is the point of this 1939 cover supposed to be that she wants a perfect figure yet she’s stuffing herself? If so, shouldn’t she look, you know, heavy? Was this “noticeably overweight” by 1939 standards?

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17 thoughts on “Magazine Cover IDU”

I think that *is* the joke. But I don’t think it was meant to be a *mean* joke. It’s not that we are supposed to think “what an idiot; doing something useless and missing the point– she’s just a revolting pig”. I think it’s supposed to make us think “oh, how cute; the contortions and fascinations people go through and their shortcomings— oh well, she looks sweet; bless her”.

More slice of life and human foibles and empathy/recognition then judgemental snide irony.

Yeah, I don’t think she’s overweight by 1939 standards.The pendulum hadn’t swung as far as the full-figured builds of Marilyn Monroe or Jane Russell, but it had certainly gone beyond the Olive Oyl/flapper look.

Well, the sandwich looks like lettuce on toast, so it might be “diet”. But the article she’s reading is more about exercise, so I think the joke is that even thinking about working out makes her hungry.

It looks more like a BLT to me – and the shake and sundae kind of kill any diet idea. Oh, and I missed the mini-pie.

It’s also possible (I don’t know what the “ideal figure” by 1939 standards is) that she feels she’s too skinny, and is working on becoming more full-figured (and fit with it, thus the exercise). Or it could just be, as woozy said, “oh, look, how cute she is”.

I did a google image search for “1939 cover girl” and none of them look either particularly emaciated nor particularly plump, so I’m guessing the woman on this cover was considered normal weight.

I agree that it’s most likely a fun jab at people who read/think/talk diet and eat … well, a lot.(No point in insulting pigs here, right?)

Not unlike the people who go to the gym and take the elevator to the second floor, and then reward themselves for a great workout by having a muffin. (Not that I’ve ever done that, nossir, not me. Honest. Have I ever lied to you?)

Rather than a comment on this particular model/person, I read the joke as “Here you are, reading about exercising in order to get ‘the ideal figure,’ yet you’re eating food that will sabotage those efforts.” It’s along the lines of, “Ha ha, women are so illogical and thereby funny!”

“Not unlike the people who go to the gym and take the elevator to the second floor”

I believe the traditional joke here is to note people who drive to the gym, with maybe a bonus jab about trying to get the closest parking spots. More universal because more gyms have parking lots than elevators.

Why wouldn’t I drive to the gym, or take an elevator, or try to get a close parking spot? Hopefully I’m going to the gym to do some exercise that I enjoy more than walking across freezing streets or through a cold parking lot.

Absolutely, chakolate, you can’t tell about people: ask me to walk ten miles, no problem. Confront me with a long flight of stairs, though, and there’d better be something really good on the top floor.

Included in the auctions random page samples was an editorial that appears to relate to the cover illustration. It is the last image in the auction’s browser. Keep clicking to the right. It’s titled “Glorifying the Skinny Women”. You can put the image URL in your web browser to give you a larger page to read.

Maybe the joke is that the woman is reading a magazine about fitness/idealized bodies, but in her mind she’s thinking “Screw you society. I’d rather eat my pie and be happy.” I doubt magazines in 1939 were that progressive, though.